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Sentinel Node Biopsy

Sentinel node biopsy is an established but still relatively new procedure that surgeons use to “stage” (determine the severity of) breast cancer and melanomas.

The traditional procedure for staging breast cancer is an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), which involves removing all (usually 10-30) of the lymph nodes in the armpit closest to the breast tumor. The benefit of ALND is that all of the lymph nodes can be tested for cancer cells. The drawback of ALND is that the procedure can have complications such as movement problems in the shoulder, wound infection, nerve damage, and lymphedema, or swelling of the arms and legs.

Sentinel node biopsy is a less-invasive method for staging breast cancer and associated with fewer complications. Instead of all of the lymph nodes being removed, sentinel node biopsy involves removing an average of 2 lymph nodes. Compared to ALND, sentinel node biopsy usually takes less time, is less painful, requires a much smaller incision. The main argument in support of sentinel node biopsy is that if no cancer has spread to the sentinel lymph nodes, removing the remaining lymph nodes is not warranted.